Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad blames the media for misquoting him and says he didn't refer to homosexuality, but only to HIV.

A day after he described homosexuality as a "disease", Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad clarified that he was "misquoted", saying the comments were taken out of context and that he didn't refer to homosexuality, but only to HIV.

"I would like to clarify that it's not my intention to hurt any section of society. I've been totally misquoted by a section of the media," Azad said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Azad had described homosexuality as a "disease" and regretted that despite being "unnatural", it now afflicted a substantial number of people in India.

Azad had made the comment while addressing an AIDS convention in Delhi, which was organised by a forum of parliamentarians. The convention was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and some Union ministers and chief ministers, besides members of Parliament and legislative assemblies, Zila Parishad chairpersons and mayors, apart from professionals working in the area.

"The disease of 'Men having Sex with Men' (MSM), which was found more in the developed world, has now unfortunately come to our country and there is a substantial number of such people in India," Azad had said at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan.

The minister said, "Even though it (homosexuality among men) is unnatural, it exists in our country and is now fast spreading, making it tough for its detection."

"With relationships changing, men are having sex with men now. Though it is easy to find women sex workers and educate them on sex, it is a challenge to find MSMs," the minister said.

On Tuesday, the minister said, "Three things were put into my mouth. I spoke in both Hindi and English. I didn't use the words homosexuality or gay even once."

"I used all technical words. I used the words MSM, not the words gay or homosexual. I referred to 'female sex workers' in English, not any other Hindi word. I was referring only to HIV as a disease. Somebody has quoted me saying homosexuality as a disease. Some people have played with words. Maybe it was lost in translation as well," Azad clarified.